Thailand prepares for life after Bhumibol

As Thailand begins a year-long mourning period for its monarch, King Bhumibol, how will the transition of power to his successor affect the country, and what does it mean for the rest of the world?

 

https://twitter.com/ReutersLive/status/786850686105419776

https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/786853597694857216

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First Lady Michelle Obama reinforced her status as Hillary Clinton’s most effective campaign surrogate with another powerful speech in New Hampshire.

https://twitter.com/TimHarford/status/786851080277782528

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Meanwhile, the media star of the day was New York Times counsel David McCraw (who apparently recieved spontaneous applause while walking through the newsroom yesterday) after sending this letter to Donald Trump’s lawyer.

https://twitter.com/HirokoTabuchi/status/786789681287442436

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CULTURE

Plenty of fallout from yesterday’s award of the Nobel Prize for Literature to Bob Dylan. My former colleagues Robert Wright and Ed Crooks talk about it here…

Finally…

 

 

 

Yemen conflict escalates as US attacks rebel positions

The US Navy last night launched a number of cruise missile strikes against rebel-held positions in Yemen. It is the first US engagement against Houthi rebels and comes after two reportedly failed attacks on a US warship over the past few days.

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https://twitter.com/TimAdamsWrites/status/786504874930253824

In the US, jaws continue to drop…

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Tonight sees the deciding game in the Nationals-Dodgers NLDS. The winners go to Wrigley at the weekend to start the NLCS.

funny, but…

 

 

 

MPs wrangle over scrutiny for Brexit terms

Britain’s opposition Labour Party today moved to pressure the government to spell out detail about its specific plans for parliamentary scrutiny and accountability over the eventual terms of plans for the mechanism for the country to leave the EU.

The Guardian reports:

In a last-minute concession, the government accepted a Labour motion calling for MPs to have more say over the strategy for leaving the EU before article 50 is triggered by the end of March.

May had been facing her first government defeat over the motion on Wednesday, as a number of Conservatives indicated they were prepared to vote with Labour to demand greater public debate over the Brexit negotiating strategy.

https://twitter.com/AndyNRodgers/status/786175931220054016

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sigh…

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https://twitter.com/SInow/status/786178387694026752

 

 

Brexit ‘chaos’ deepens over role of parliament

So it looks like the people who advocated “taking back our sovereignty” were just kidding when it came to Britain’s parliament. MPs, it seems, won’t get a vote on whatever Brexit deal the new unelected prime minister and her associates eventually negotiate, despite having no input into those negotiations.

If it wasn’t for a certain orange buffoon across the water, British politics would truly be the world’s laughing stock.

At least they can vote to end the insanity.

times

https://twitter.com/SebastianEPayne/status/785516555497050112

https://twitter.com/Far_Right_Watch/status/785776982009184256

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And talking of the aforementioned buffoon…

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BUSINESS

 

 

Trump still in race but doubts remain after bitter second debate

After the most eagerly-anticipated political debate for many years, expectations that Donald Trump’s apparently spiraling candidacy might finally, and spectacularly, implode did not come to pass. His performance may be enough to staunch the defections from his own party support, but there will still be questions – not least, will there be more revelations like we’ve seen in the past few days.

Oh, and one of the candidates threatened to put the other in jail. But you’ll have to read on to find out which one…

Bascially,

https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/785333929117093888

In another debate short on policy detail, the real winner was probably ABC’s moderator Martha Raddatz, who tried valiantly to press both candidates on specifics, particularly on their immediate solutions to the crisis in Syria. Unfortunately, few were forthcoming, with the candidates’ exchanges – after a genuinely tense opening 15 minutes, where literally anything might well have happened – devolving into a mishmash of prepared answers and dubious statistics.

Like the first debate, few minds were probably changed. Trump reinforced his base support but likely didn’t convert anyone beyond it.

https://twitter.com/Anthony/status/785323215690268672

The key question for Sec Clinton remains whether she was able to appeal to enough voters in the increasingly crucial down ballot races.

 

https://twitter.com/TheFix/status/785316410037833728

The rumors about Mike Pence’s position on the ticket, after being thrown under the bus by his running mate, got to many of us. And it’s still not resolved. By any stretch.

But then there was this..

Earlier during – and immediately after – the debate:

Dear God…

with perfect timing…

Trump defiant as campaign starts to unravel after lewd audio tape emerges

A 2005 tape of insulting remarks about women by Donald Trump could be the death knell for the Republican presidential candidate, with even some in his own party calling on him to withdraw. He will not be appearing at a scheduled rally on Saturday with Speaker Paul Ryan.

Even amid speculation that he might quit, his response video signed off with “see you at the debate on Sunday.”

The candidate, in a taped message, issued an apology and said the incident was “a distraction.”

https://twitter.com/nick_ramsey/status/784608371722911745

 

Florida Governor warns of “catastrophic” damage

Florida is braced for landfall of Hurricane Matthew, which has apparently weakened slightly but is still hugely dangerous. More than a million people have been ordered to evacuate and some 200,000 homes are already without power amid heavy winds. Gov Rick Scott warned of potentially “catastrophic” damage when the full force of the storm comes ashore near Cape Canaveral.

Why? Just why? (ok, we know why, but come on…)

Thank goodness we can rely on Fox News to provide perspective.

https://twitter.com/Deathbymartymar/status/784122375424004096

And the Drudge Report to get to the bottom of everything…

https://twitter.com/xeni/status/784230429956210689

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Update 10.30am London: 

Classy:

Earlier:

Seems today is as good a day as any to introduce a new category…

WTAF..?

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https://twitter.com/jimfitzbiz/status/784309561347809280

https://twitter.com/jamesrbuk/status/784294893002690560

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Florida braces as Matthew bears down

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“If you’re a citizen of the world, you’re a citizen of nowhere..”

Really?

https://twitter.com/MichaelPDeacon/status/783677635209662464

Christ on a bike…

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https://twitter.com/duncanrobinson/status/783669394622836736

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The San Francisco Giants will travel to Chicago on Friday to begin the NLDS after beating the New York Mets in the ninth inning last night at CitiField.

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CULTURE

It’s National Poetry Day in the UK.

https://twitter.com/AcademiaObscura/status/773005370684047365

Clownpocalypse

Prime Minister Theresa May makes a keynote speech at the close of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham later today, apparently claiming that the Tories are now the party of “ordinary working-class people.”

https://twitter.com/jamesrbuk/status/783615738867249152

In other news of what passes for politics in Britain..

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Meanwhile, in what passes for politics in the US..

Stay safe, Florida friends..

https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/783610593882365952

Seriously though, what the actual fuck…?

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In the NL wildcard game tonight, the New York Mets host the San Francisco Giants.